>> Monday, June 6, 2011

Much discussion has been going on about paying off the housing mortgage or to take the maximum loan. Well, I would like to put forth my views.

Firstly, it depends if the loan is paid using CPF or cash. If using CPF, the constrains are obvious: (1) interest rate of 2.5%; (2) Cannot use the funds till 55/62; (3) Even if invested, there are bank charges and any current income derived goes back to being locked up. If using cash, it is a sacrifice of liquidity and possible opportunity cost.

Secondly, it depends if the loan is from HDB or the bank. If using HDB loan, the constrains are again known: (1) interest rate of 2.6%; (2) Inflexibility of loan terms; (3) Not allowed to refinance internally. If it is a bank loan, rates are generally floating, loan terms like tenor and amount can be varied.

So back to the question, to pay or not? Assumption of course is affordability is not an issue here, as this is out of the question if one cannot even pay off the loan to begin with.

For HDB loan using CPF, unless you are intending to invest your idle CPF funds and are confident of a rate of return higher than 2.6% compounded consistently, I would pay off the HDB loan.

For HDB loan using cash, switch to a bank loan.

For bank loan using CPF, I will take the maximum loan amount, but the shortest tenor. Bank fixed rates are lower than 2% at least for 3 years or some up to 5 years, since CPF cannot be withdrawn and earning 2.5%, it will maximize the returns. At the same time, if rates were to increase above 2.5% then pay off the entire loan, if not carry on to refinance after the fixed rate lock in is over at the new fixed rate lock in below 2.5%.

For bank loan using cash, this one is a little tricky. It all depends on the rate of return you feel you can achieve and how long you can carry on to achieve them. If the expected returns are consistent and above the floating rate, I will take maximum loan with maximum tenor. If rates float above my expected return, I'll pay down the loan or place in an interest offset plan and refinance in future when rates fall below my expected return.

Well, in conclusion, it all boils down to the expected rate of returns for the alternative use of the funds. If you are going to leave it in fixed deposits, then it would make more sense to pay the loan off or use an interest offset plan. Of course assuming due diligence of emergency funds, etc are already done.

I like your reply.Since you can think this way, I think they are people who are capable of doing it. Actually, i have not reach this classic stage of using capital. I think it's a very interesting way of employing capital but in Singapore there are no public housing for rental except very special cases for the "very poor"."An operating lease rather than a financing lease." - "A Classic Thinking" Ha! Ha! i like.

Actually, I wish I had a small loan. If you only need to pay off a small mortgage, then the "freed" capital can potentially be invested in income generating investments. The life insurance associated with a mortgage is one of the cheapest around, and should you unfortunately lose your life, your wealth bumps up immediately for your family.

Taking a blog/comment post from cw888 as well, apart from numbers, the psychological aspect cannot be expressed in dollars and cents.

Excuse the simplicity/details. But to quote the example:A. 2 mil in investments, 1 mil in debt; orB. 1 mil in investments & debt free.Net worth mathematically is the same. But psychological security of burden cannot be computed. Leverage is a double edged sword.

Featured Blogger

Singapore Memory Project

About Me

I hope that you will find this site useful and informative.
Do drop me your feedback on how i can further improve.
And should u have any queries and comments, please post them and i shall be more than happy to address them.

Labels

Disclaimer

Privacy

The owner of this blog does not share personal information with third-parties nor does the owner store information is collected about your visit for use other than to analyze content performance through the use of cookies, which you can turn off at anytime by modifying your Internet browser’s settings. The owner is not responsible for the republishing of the content found on this blog on other Web sites or media without permission.

Blog Comments

The owner of this blog reserves the right to edit or delete any comments submitted to this blog without notice due to;

1. Comments deemed to be spam or questionable spam2. Comments including profanity3. Comments containing language or concepts that could be deemed offensive4. Comments that attack a person individually

Terms and Conditions

All content provided on this blog is for informational purposes only. The owner of this blog makes no representations as to the accuracy or completeness of any information on this site or found by following any link on this site. The owner will not be liable for any errors or omissions in this information nor for the availability of this information. The owner will not be liable for any losses, injuries, or damages from the display or use of this information.

This policy is subject to change at anytime.

About This Blog

To promote the education of individuals for the need to have a healthy lifestyle and wealth management through proper financial planning, particularly in investments.